Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Anadolu: Erdogan issues presidential decree to freeze assets of dozens of Iranian entities linked to Iran’s nuclear program
Two killed in Manchester synagogue attack: UK police
Global Sumud Flotilla: We call for immediate international intervention to ensure the safety of the fleet's volunteers and secure their prompt release
Global Sumud Flotilla: More than 443 volunteers from 47 countries are being illegally detained after the fleet was seized by "Israel"
Global Sumud Flotilla: Israeli occupation forces intercepted the peaceful convoy’s ships in international waters and abducted hundreds of volunteers
Madi to Al Mayadeen: Preparations are underway to organize protests in Swiss cities in solidarity with the Sumud Flotilla
Spokeswoman for the Swiss ship of the Sumud Flotilla, Rania Madi, to Al Mayadeen: Six Swiss ships participating in the fleet confirmed they came under an Israeli attack
Media platforms: The navigational data of the Mikeno ship show it entering Gaza’s territorial waters, now just 9 nautical miles from the enclave
The first ship has reached Gaza’s territorial waters despite Israeli attempts to intercept it
The Omar Al-Mukhtar ship of the Global Sumud Flotilla is currently facing communication jamming, and the occupation’s military boats are approaching it. Contact with the vessel has been cut off.

Pfizer lawsuit in US links contraceptive injection to brain tumours

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 28 Sep 2025 16:01
4 Min Read

Pfizer faces a major lawsuit in the United States over claims its contraceptive injection Depo-Provera caused brain tumours.

Listen
  • x
  • People enter the Pfizer NYC Headquarters, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
    People enter the Pfizer NYC Headquarters, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is facing a growing lawsuit in the United States over claims that its contraceptive injection, Depo-Provera, caused brain tumours in women who used it long-term.

The class action, brought by law firm Levin Papantonio, alleges that Pfizer failed to warn women and doctors about the increased risk of intracranial meningioma if Depo-Provera is used for more than a year.

A court hearing is scheduled in Pensacola, Florida, on Monday.

Since May, the number of plaintiffs has tripled to more than 1,300 cases, consolidated into multi-district litigation. Lawyers expect the total to rise to between 5,000 and 10,000 claims, with potential damages reaching billions of dollars.

Scientific studies have raised concerns about the safety of Depo-Provera. Research published in the British Medical Journal in March 2024 found that prolonged use of certain progestogen medications was linked to a higher risk of intracranial meningioma, a type of benign brain tumour. Depo-Provera was specifically linked to a 5.6-fold higher risk.

While meningiomas are not usually cancerous, they can cause seizures, headaches, and loss of vision or hearing. Surgical removal is often necessary but carries risks of damaging surrounding brain structures.

Read more: Pfizer CEO escaped questions at Davos about effect of Covid vaccine

FDA and the debate over drug label warnings

Related News

Trump's plan aims to disarm, expel Gaza's defenders: Sayyed al-Houthi

Social media drive shift in US views on Israeli genocide in Gaza

At the center of the Pfizer lawsuit is the question of whether the company acted responsibly in warning patients. Pfizer argues that it sought to add a tumour warning to Depo-Provera’s label, but the FDA rejected the request.

“This is a clear pre-emption case because FDA expressly barred Pfizer from adding a warning about meningioma risk, which plaintiffs say state law required,” the company said in court filings.

Plaintiffs counter that Pfizer’s request was too broad, grouping Depo-Provera with other lower-dose contraceptives, which led to the FDA’s decision. They argue the company failed to provide adequate data that might have justified a targeted warning.

Depo-Provera, marketed since the 1980s, is used by millions of women worldwide, both for contraception and to treat conditions such as endometriosis. Around 247 million women globally use hormonal contraceptives, and nearly a quarter of sexually active women in the United States have used Depo-Provera.

Warning labels were updated in the UK in 2024, and similar updates have been made in Canada and Europe. Pfizer has said it is “aware of this potential risk associated with long-term use of progestogens.”

Read more: The Intercept: Pfizer Sought to Block Law Protecting Whistleblowers

What the lawsuit could mean for Pfizer

Virginia Buchanan, co-chair of the plaintiffs’ executive committee, accused Pfizer of avoiding accountability: “Pfizer is attempting to avoid accountability by invoking a pre-emption defense, yet there are serious questions about whether it ever provided the FDA with the full picture."

Buchanan added, “Pre-emption was never meant to serve as a shield for drug companies that fail to warn patients adequately. Pfizer has consistently failed to take reasonable steps to alert patients and their physicians to this very real danger.”

In addition to the class action, law firm Berger Montague is investigating whether Pfizer’s board breached its fiduciary duties in the marketing and sale of Depo-Provera, which could lead to shareholder lawsuits.

With thousands of potential plaintiffs and billions of dollars at stake, the Pfizer lawsuit could become one of the most consequential pharmaceutical cases in recent years.

  • Pfizer
  • Pfizer lawsuit
  • United States
  • FDA
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Most Read

Last photo showing Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Martyr Hajj Hassan in a Resistance operations room, Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, days before their martyrdom (Al Mayadeen)

In heart of battle: Al Mayadeen shares last photo of Sayyed Nasrallah

  • Politics
  • 27 Sep 2025
Hamas fighters stand in formation ahead of a ceremony to hand over Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP)

Hamas reviews Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan as PIJ rejects

  • Palestine
  • 30 Sep 2025
Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
Trump’s 21-point Gaza plan vs Netanyahu’s demand for Hamas defeat

Trump vows 'something special' in ME; Israeli delegation in chaos

  • US & Canada
  • 28 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
From protests to sanctions: Europe’s shift away from 'Israel'
Politics

From protests to sanctions: Europe's shift away from 'Israel'

US arms sale to Nigeria raises human rights concerns.
Politics

US arms sale to Nigeria raises human rights concerns: RS

BBC exposé of Met Police racism and misogyny prompts Khan outrage
Politics

BBC exposé of Met Police 'racism', 'misogyny' prompts Khan outrage

Trump signs order pledging US defense of Qatar after Israeli strike.
Politics

Trump signs order pledging US defense of Qatar after Israeli strike

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS